Classic Victoria Sponge Cake

With Mother’s day just around the corner I can’t think of a better excuse to get into the kitchen and bake this Classic Victoria Sponge Cake. Or, preferably drop some rather large hints and get someone else to bake you the cake!

Classic Victoria Sponge Cake

Despite it’s name Victoria Sponge Cake is not a true sponge as it contains fat. A true sponge, as that seen in a Swiss roll sponge contains just eggs, sugar and flour.

I make lots of cakes and this is one of my all time favourites. I never get bored of the pure simplicity of a Classic Victoria Sponge Cake. This recipe, taken from The River Cottage Handbook No.8, titled Cakes by Pam Corbin, is one of my favourite go to recipes for a Classic Victoria Sponge Cake. This recipe seems to be based on the very traditional Women’s Institute recipe which uses self raising flour and no extra baking powder. You will find many recipes include an additional teaspoon of baking powder. As you can see this is entirely optional as your cake will rise just fine without the extra baking powder. However, if you would like a taller cake then by all means add a teaspoon.

Classic Victoria Sponge Cake Mixing Method

However gratifyingly quick it may be using the all in one method, the gradual whisking in of ingredients should help produce you a much lighter and fluffier cake. The all in one method tends to produce a denser, chewier texture. The consistency should be light and delicate. Moist and not too sweet which is perfectly balanced with a fruity jam such a strawberry or raspberry. Some choose to add whipped cream to the filling and others like a the more sweet & sickly buttercream. Here I’ve used just jam.

I found that by adding a little milk to the mix (a trick Nigella uses a lot in her baking), helps to loosen up the mix to give a better dropping consistency.

Now, I don’t admit this to everyone, but I did once eat a whole victoria sponge cake all by myself – in one sitting! Ok, it was a one of those smallish ones you get from Marks & Spencer’s in a box. I was heavily pregnant with my first child and had come back to England from China to give birth. I spend five weeks in the UK before she was born and had an absolute feast satisfying all my food cravings that had been suppressed whilst enduring pregnancy in Beijing for the past eight months.

I reckon, It’s due to that cake eating incident, my eldest daughter now loves cakes and baking so much.

What’s your favourite classic cake?

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Classic Victoria Sponge Cake

A light and airy Classic Victoria Sponge Cake, filled with strawberry jam and dusted with a sprinkling of icing sugar.

Course:
cakes

Cuisine:
British

Servings: 12

Calories: 419kcal

Author: Gillian Thompson

Ingredients

175gself-raising flour

1tspsalta pinch

175gunsalted buttercut into small pieces and softened

175gsugarcastor

3eggsat room temperature, weighing about 175g total. If your egg weight is less than 175g use 2 x 18cm sandwich tins rather than 20cm

1tspvanilla extract

2-3tbspmilk

1 -2tbspicing sugar or caster sugar to sprinkle on top

For the Filling:

3-4tbspjamstrawberry or raspberry

Butter Cream Filling (optional):

140gicing sugarsieved

100gbuttersoftened

0.5tspVanilla extract

Instructions

You will need 2 x 20cm sandwich tins or a 23cm round tin, lightly greased and lined with baking parchment. If your egg weight is less than 175g use 2 x 18cm sandwich tins rather than 20cm.

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Sift flour and salt together into a bowl and set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, beat the butter to a cream, using a wooden spoon or electric whisk.

Add the castor sugar to the creamed butter mixture and continue to beat until the mixture is very light and creamy. This will take about 5 to 10 minutes depending on whether you're using hand or electric whisk.

Whisk until all the sugar is be mixed in until smooth and fluffy.

Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add an egg and 1 tbsp of the previously weighed out flour. Beat thoroughly before adding the next egg and next tbsp of flour.

Add in 1 tsp of vanilla extract with the last of the eggs and beat. If you feel you need to loosen up your mixture add a couple of tablespoons of milk at this stage.

Distribute the mix evenly between the two sandwich tins. Spread out evenly with the back of the spoon or spatula and bake in the middle shelf of the oven for about 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and springs back when gently pressed with a finger.

Leave the cake tin the tins for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Let the cakes cool completely before adding the filling of your choice.

For the Buttercream Filling:

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in the icing sugar.

Then add in the vanilla extract.

Spread one layer with the jam or lemon curd and the other layer with the buttercream, place both layers together to form a sandwich. Dust the top with icing or castor sugar.

Ive been meaning to do a Victoria Sandwich on my blog for months, but still havent’ done so. Its such a classic and I still think a good Victoria sandwich is hard to beat. Yours looks very good indeed although have to confess id do like a bit of buttercream in mine.

My husband’s grandparents were from England. We do enjoy some of the wonderful British fare. Empire cookies, and bakewell tarts are at the top of his list. This cake would be a great addition to our treats.

Haha oh what a gorgeous story about your daughter! And what a delicious cake to gorge on while waiting for her arrival. 🙂 This cake sounds absolutely wonderful and I really appreciate all the little tips like slowly adding the ingredients vs the all in one method. Can’t wait to try!

A lovely classic version – this is very similar to how I make mine. I am totally with you that the old fashioned method makes for a better cake – and if you are making an old school cake, it really ought to be an old school method, no? Your whole cake eating incident made me laugh. I remember doing something rather similar in 6th form at school. 3 of us went into the town and bought a large frozen Sarah Lee gateaux – and couldn’t wait till it had defrosted, so ate it semi-frozen with spoons! Admittedly it was 3 of us, but it was a very large cake! Thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare 🙂 Eb x

Oh, this cake looks sooo good! It would make great tea time treat for Mother’s Day or any other occasion. There is something very comforting about Victoria sponge cakes,.. so simple yet full of flavour.

The cake looks gorgeous and a perfect treat for a Mother’s day celebration. I love sponge cakes because of their lightness and love to pair them with fruit jelly. Gorgeous pictures too, now if only I can grab a slice from the screen 😉

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Hello! Thank you for stopping by. I'm Gillian, a Lancashire born, Yorkshire bred mum of four, currently living in Hong Kong. An obsessive foodie with a serious affliction of wanderlust. I love travelling, cooking and baking, food photography and hiking in the nearby jungly hills with our dog, George. Read More…

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